LAKEVIEW — In a district constantly clamoring for additional police resources, more officers are arriving on the heels of detective departures on the North Side.
The Town Hall District received five recruits and five field training officers at the beginning of April, said Deputy Chief Melissa Staples. The district includes Lakeview and portions of Lincoln Park, Uptown, Lincoln Square and North Center.
Field training officers are paired with probationary police officers to evaluate recruits' performances and help train them.
The addition brings the Town Hall District's increased manpower in line with promises from Alds. Tom Tunney (44th) and James Cappleman (46th) made in October.
The aldermen helped pass a $589 million property tax hike last year in exchange for a pledge from Mayor Rahm Emanuel and now-former Supt. Garry McCarthy to add 43 officers in the district by the end of 2016.
That promise included adding 25 officers in the first three months of 2016, in addition to eight officers transferred to the district in November.
At the end of March, the district fell seven officers short of the 33 total officers it was supposed to add since the deal was made.
Another 10 officers are supposed to be transferred in by the end of 2016.
Meanwhile, Area North detectives who work violent crimes are moving from their headquarters at Belmont and Western to a police facility at Harrison and Kedzie in East Garfield Park, Tunney said Friday.
"We understand this is an operational and investigative issue meant to ensure a quicker response to violent crimes" and easier transportation of arrestees, victims and witnesses, Tunney said in his email newsletter.
Property crime and special victims detectives will remain at Belmont and Western, Tunney said. The move has no effect on the Area North coverage area or how detectives investigate crimes, he added.
News of the detective transfer surfaced Tuesday on Crime in Wrigleyville + Boystown. The anonymously run blog quoted unnamed sources who said "virtually every detective" would be moved come Monday, including those assigned to work robbery, burglary, homicide and sexual assault investigations.
That contradicts Tunney's information, which came from First Deputy John Escalante, Tunney said.
The sources also said the move violated police contracts because it lacked a bid process, the blog reported.
RELATED:
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• Will Lakeview Get As Many Police Officers As Promised? Tunney Won't Say
• Woman Attacked On Her Porch in Lakeview Says Police Took Too Long to Arrive
• Lakeview Burglaries Spike After Decade-Low Winter in 2015
• El Tapatio Hit For 1st Time in 42 Years as Lakeview Crime Moves West
• Tunney Votes Yes on Property Tax Bump, Gets 43 More Officers For Lakeview
• Plan for More North Side Police Officers Get Shaky Start in Town Hall
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